During the week of February 19th, sophomore chemistry classes got the opportunity to participate in a biodiesel lab situated in the medical building parking lot. Students were partnered up to participate in exploring the rewenable form of energy that is manufactured from the natural oils found in vegetables.
What stuck with you the most about this lab experience?
I enjoyed the fact that we had liberty whenever we were actually doing the lab, we did everything from scratch. It wasn’t like our normal chemistry labs where most things are already mixed or arranged.
– Sophie
Definitely the smell of the chemicals and how if you messed up you kinda just had to roll with it because there really weren’t any redos. I had to be extra careful and also watch over what my partner was doing.
– Emma
Would you say you felt prepared for this lab even though it was a new experience?
I actually do think that it was manageable to do even though we hadn’t done anything like this before. The instructor did a really good job of describing the process and made sure we all knew what to do.
– Mary
I relied a lot on my partner but I helped where I could. It was really fun experimenting with new lab techniques though.
– Sebastian
How did working with partners impact the lab?
I really liked that we had a partner because it took off the pressure of the workload. This also meant that if I didn’t understand or know how to do something there was a chance they would know how to do it.
– Lucia
It wasn’t bad but I kinda wish I would’ve been able to do the whole lab by myself. I just wanted to experience the full solo lab activity.
– Mykah
If you had the option to participate in another lab, would you accept it?
I honestly don’t think I would, chemistry isn’t really my thing. It was fun in the moment though, so I don’t regret participating in it.
– Zoe
I would love to have another experience like this again. I think that it’s better to learn while doing labs because it is easier to remember things rather than taking notes or reading off a PowerPoint.
– Ana